One of the main symbols of Venetian culture, located in the very heart of the city, is the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana: a not-to-be-missed venue while in Venice.

If you stand with your back to Palazzo Ducale you can admire the magnificent Palazzo della Libreria Sansovina, the seat of the Biblioteca Marciana (Marciana National Library). This library boasts a heritage collection of more than one million books preserved alongside the works of great masters including Titian and Tintoretto.

Some interesting facts for book lovers: its impressive heritage collection includes approximately 1,000,000 books, 13,117 bound manuscripts, 4,639 unbound manuscripts, 2,887 incunabula (documents printed before 1501) and 24,060 ‘cinquecentine’ (16th-century editions).

A visit to the Monumental Rooms of the Library is an absolute must. Featuring an extraordinary Staircase of Honour, a Vestibule – later transformed into a Public Statuary – and an ornately decorated Library Room, it is of significant artistic and historical interest and well worth a visit. You can access the Monumental Rooms through the entrance of the Correr Museum using the single ticket for all the Museums in St. Mark’s Square.